Soft-sided carrying case with stowable shoulder straps and waist belt

ABSTRACT

A soft-sided carrying case comprises a compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall, the back wall having a flap, the flap disposed on the back wall and shiftable between a closed position and an open position to conceal and reveal a back pack configuration. The backpack configuration includes a pair of shoulder straps secured to the back wall and a waist belt. The waist belt is secured to the flap and is foldable about a waist belt hinge so as to lie flat. The carrying case may also include a plurality of wheels and a telescoping handle to use the carrying case in a manner similar to a luggage cart.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a non-provisional application claimingpriority from Provisional Application Serial No. 60/399,037, entitled“Soft-Sided Carrying Case with Stowable Shoulder Straps and Waist Belt”filed Jul. 26, 2002, for all commonly disclosed subject matter.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention generally relates to soft-sided carryingcases, and more specifically, to soft-sided carrying cases havingstowable shoulder straps and hip or waist belt.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Soft-sided luggage or soft-sided carrying cases are generallywell known in the art. Soft-sided carrying cases typically offer one ormore distinct advantages over conventional luggage. For example,soft-sided luggage is typically lighter in weight than conventionalluggage, and thus soft-sided carrying cases may be particularly wellsuited for carrying a number of different items. Moreover, soft-sidedcarrying cases often add wheels, allowing the case to be used similar toa luggage cart.

[0004] Many consumers, however, desire the additional flexibility ofwearing the soft-sided carrying case as a backpack. Thus, it is known toinclude shoulder straps on such cases so that the user may wear the caseas a backpack. Furthermore, for added stability and comfort, a waist orhip belt may be provided which fits snuggly around the user's waist orhips. Unfortunately, as with many additional options, care must be takenso that the carrying case does not become overly cumbersome.

[0005] Therefore, despite the popularity of known soft-sided carryingcases or luggage, there is a continuing need for improvements in theart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Certain features and advantages in the apparatus disclosed andclaimed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art uponreading the following description in conjunction with the drawingfigures, in which:

[0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a soft-sided carrying caseassembled in accordance with the teachings of an embodiment of theinvention and shown being worn by a user;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the soft-sided carrying caseof FIG. 1 with a pair of shoulder straps and a waist belt in the stowedposition;

[0009]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the soft-sided carrying caseshowing the stowage flap in the partially open configuration;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the soft-sided carryingcase showing the stowage flap in the fully open configuration;

[0011]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the soft-sided carrying caseof FIG. 4;

[0012]FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the soft-sided carrying caseshowing the stowage flap in the fully open configuration, and showingthe waist belt partially unfolded;

[0013]FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the soft-sided carrying caseshowing the stowage flap in the fully open configuration, and showingthe waist belt fully unfolded; and

[0014]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the soft-sided carrying caseassembled in accordance with the teachings of an embodiment of theinvention and configured to be used with optional wheels and atelescoping handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Although the following text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understoodthat the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of theclaims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description isto be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment of the invention since describing every possible embodimentwould be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternativeembodiments could be implemented, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this patent, which wouldstill fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.

[0016] It should also be understood that, unless a term is expresslydefined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term‘_____’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, thereis no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or byimplication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term shouldnot be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made inany section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). Tothe extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patentis referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a singlemeaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse thereader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, byimplication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless aclaim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a functionwithout the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scopeof any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph.

[0017] Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a soft-sided carryingcase assembled in accordance with the teachings of the present inventionis generally referred to by the reference numeral 10. The soft-sidedcarrying case 10 generally includes two sidewalls 10A and 10B, a frontwall 10C, a back wall 10D, a bottom wall 10E, and a top wall 10F. In theconfiguration shown in FIG. 1, and as will be described in greaterdetail below, a pair of shoulder straps 16 and a hip or waist belt 18may be deployed to allow the carrying case 10 to be carrier in a fashionsimilar to a backpack.

[0018] The soft-sided carrying case 10 may include a handle 12, which inthe disclosed embodiment shown may be extendable, and when used inconjunction with a plurality of wheels 14 (visible in FIGS. 2 and 3)will enable the soft-sided carrying case 10 to be wheeled in a fashionsimilar to a luggage cart as shown in FIG. 8. The handle 12 may be madeof commercially available materials of the type commonly used in theart, and further will preferably have a telescoping handle 12 a enablingthe entire handle 12 to be stowed in the carrying case 10. The wheels 14are preferably commercially available wheels commonly employed in theluggage industry. In-line skate style wheels using sealed ball bearingsand other commercially available wheels may also be used.

[0019] Referring now to FIG. 2 through FIG. 7, there is illustrated thecarrying case 10 in various stages of deployment from a configurationwith the shoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18 in a stowed position (FIG.2), to a configuration with the shoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18 inan exposed position, but with the waist belt 18 folded (FIG. 4) to theshoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18 in a fully deployed position (FIG.7). Specifically, as is shown in FIG. 2, the carrying case 10 isillustrated in a rear elevational view with the shoulder straps 16 andwaist belt 18 in the fully stowed position. The soft-sided carrying case10 preferably includes a stowage flap 20. The stowage flap 20 includes atop edge 20A, a bottom edge 20B, and a pair of interconnecting sideedges 20C, 20D. The bottom face 20B of the stowage flap 20 is joined tothe back wall 10D of the carrying case 10 at a first hinge line 22. Thehinge 22 permits pivotal movement of the stowage flap 20 between theclosed or folded position shown in FIG. 2 and an open or unfoldedposition shown in FIGS. 4-7.

[0020] The stowage flap 20 further includes faces 21A, 21B. In thepreferred environment of use, the face 21A may be referred to as a outerface, while the face 21B may be referred to as a inner face.

[0021] It will be appreciated that the hinge line 22 may be one of anumber of alternatives known in the art. For example, the hinge line 22may be a line of stitching, such as a bartack stitching for greaterdurability in high stress areas. Other types of hinge lines may be, forexample rather than limitations, a line of piping or a zipper such as aheavy duty #8 or #10 taped, clean coil zipper. Furthermore, it will beunderstood that these alternatives are equally applicable to any otherhinge line described hereinafter.

[0022] The soft-sided carrying case 10 preferably includes a zipper 24which engages each of the back wall 10D and at least a portion of theedges 20A, 20B, 20C of the stowage flap 20 in order to secure thestowage flap 20 in its closed position such as is shown in FIG. 2. Uponrelease of the zipper 24, the stowage flap 20 may be pivoted about itshinge line 22 to its respective unfolded positions as shown in FIG. 3through FIG. 7.

[0023] Instead of the zipper 24 it will be appreciated that alternateclosure mechanisms may be provided in order to secure the stowage flap20 to the back wall 10D. At least some of these possible alternatemechanisms are discussed herein with respect to other forms of preferredembodiments. It will be understood that the closure mechanisms of thevarious embodiments may be readily substituted for each other as wouldbe appreciated by those of skill in the art.

[0024] Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the soft-sided carryingcase 10 is illustrated with the zipper 24 opened and the stowage flap 20either partially pivoted about the hinge line 22 (as shown in FIG. 3) orfully pivoted about the hinge line 22 (as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) toexpose the shoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18. The stowage flap 20 mayinclude a securing flap 26. The securing flap 26 includes a top edge26A, a bottom edge 26B, and a pair of interconnecting side edges 26C,26D. The bottom edge 26B of the securing flap 26 is joined to the topedge 20A of the stowage flap 20 at a second hinge line 29. The hinge 29permits pivotal movement of the securing flap 26 between the closed orfolded position shown in FIG. 2 and an open or unfolded position shownin FIGS. 3-7.

[0025] The securing flap 26 may loop through a handle 28, attached tothe bottom wall 10E of the carrying case 10, to secure the stowage flap20 in the opened position. The securing flap 26 will preferably besecurable about the handle 28 using a section of flexible material whichis joinable using hook and loop closures 31 or similar material as itknown in the art. By looping the securing flap 26 around the handle 28in the above-described manner, the stowage flap 20 is not only heldsecurely open, it also may provide, when configured as shown in FIG. 1,protection to the wheels 14. Further, in the disclosed example, thestowage flap 20 serves as a support structure for the waist belt 18 whenused as described below. The handle 28 may also function as a footpermitting the carrying case 10 to stand on end.

[0026] Referring specifically to FIG. 7, the waist belt 18 includes aplurality of panels 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 30E. The panels 30A, 30B, 30C,30D, 30E are preferably padded and may be constructed as separate units,for example, as separate panels joined together as is known in the art,or for ease of manufacturing the panels may be one continuous panelunit. The panel 30C of the waist belt 18 is joined to the inner face ofthe stowage flap 20 by a panel 32. It will be appreciated that the panel32 may also be padded to provide comfort to the lower back of the wearerof the carrying case 10.

[0027] The waist belt 18 further includes ends 33A, 33B and faces 35A,35B. In the preferred environment of use, the face 35A may be referredto as an outer face, while the face 35B may be referred to as a innerface.

[0028] The waist belt 18 may include a pair of waist belt straps 34A,34B. The waist belt straps are preferably joined to the outer face 35Aof the waist belt 18. The waist belt straps 35A, 35B will preferably bejoinable to form a contiguous loop of suitable length to attach around awearer's waist or hips by a releasable mechanism such as one or morebuckles 36A and 36B, which may be, for example, commercially availableLiteLock® buckles. Furthermore, it will be understood that the waistbelt straps 35A, 35B may be constructed as separate units, for example,as separate straps joined to the outer face 35A of the waist belt 18, orfor ease of manufacturing the straps may be one continuous strap unit.

[0029] The waist belt 18 preferably includes four waist belt hinges 39A,39B, 39C, 39D so that the waist belt capable of folding flat within thestowage flap 20 as shown in FIG. 4. By folding into a flat position, thewaist belt 18 fits compactly and neatly within the stowage flap 20. Forexample, the panels 30A, 30B may be convergently foldable about thefirst waist belt hinge 39A, while the panels 30C, 30D may beconvergently foldable about the four waist belt hinge 39D such that thewaist belt 18 folds flat against the inner face 21B of the stowage flap20. The panels 30B, 30D may be pivotable about the waist belt hinges39B, 39C respectively to allow the waist belt 18 to rotate away from theinner face 21B of the stowage flap 20 to accommodate users of varyingbody types and widths.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the waist belt hinges 39A, 39B, 39C,39D may be created by a line of stitching across the width of the waistbelt 18. As described above in connection with the hinge 22, the waistbelt hinges 39A, 39B, 39C, 39D may alternatively be, for example ratherthan limitations, a line of piping or a zipper such as a heavy duty #8or #10 taped, clean coil zipper. Moreover, each panel 30A, 30B, 30C,30D, 30E may be further constructed of a plurality of separatesub-panels connectively joined together to form the single panel.

[0031] In an alternative configuration shown in FIG. 8, the telescopinghandle 12 a may be extended, shoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18 may bestowed within the storage flap 20, and the wheels 14 exposed to allowthe carrying case 10 to wheeled in a fashion similar to a luggage cart.

[0032] It will also be appreciated that the soft-sided carrying case 10may include additional compartments, such as side compartments orpockets (not shown) and/or end compartments or pockets (not shown), allof which are commonly used in the art.

[0033] The zippers used herein are preferably heavy duty zippers, of thetype commonly used in the art, which zippers preferably have been tapedas is known in the art. Further, the soft-sided carrying case 10 may beconstructed of any one of a variety of commercially available fabricsand/or materials, all of which may be chosen based on designconsiderations for the specific application, all of which would be knownto those of skill in the art. Rip-stop materials, which are readilyavailable, may also be used.

[0034] In operation, the soft-sided carrying case 10 may be used ortransported in the configuration of FIG. 8 with the carrying case 10 inthe secured position, and the telescoping handle 12 a fully extended toallow the carrying case 10 to be wheeled in a fashion similar to aluggage cart. In the illustrated configuration, the shoulder straps 16and waist belt 18 are in their stowed position. It will be understoodthat the soft-sided carrying case 10 may be readily assembled usingknown methods of manufacturing. When it is desired to transport thesoft-sided carrying case 10 in the configuration of FIG. 1, theextendable handle 12 should be fully retracted within the carrying case10 and the shoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18 should be freed from thestowage flap 20.

[0035] To access the shoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18, the zipper 24may be disengaged so as to free the stowage flap 20. Once unzipped, thestowage flap 20 may be pivoted about the hinge line 22 (FIG. 3) rotatingthe panel 32 and waist belt 18 into the fully opened position. Thesecuring flap 26 may then be attached about the handle 28 to secure thestowage flap 20 as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. It will be appreciatedthat the stowage flap 20 may be secured in any suitable manner as isknown in the art including, for example, by use of another zipper orother suitable mechanism. However, in the illustrated embodiment, thesecurity flap 26 is secured around the handle 28 by the hook and loopclosure 31. By securing the stowage flap 20 to the carrying case 10, thehip panel 32 is secured to the back wall 10D to provide, in thedisclosed example, support to the waist belt 18 and thus minimizing oreliminating the need for any further waist belt support.

[0036] It will further be appreciated that in another alternativeembodiment (not shown) the panel 32 and the waist belt 18 may be joineddirectly to the back wall 10D of the soft-sided carrying case 10. Thestowage flap 20, therefore will rotate about the hinge line 22 to exposethe waist belt 18, without rotating the panel 32 and waist belt 18. Thestowage flap 20 may then be secured to the handle 28 as described above.

[0037] As the stowage flap is secured to the handle 28, access to boththe shoulder straps 16 and the waist belt 18 is achieved. The shoulderstraps 16 are secured to the carrying case 10 and may be adjustedaccording to the requirements of the wearer as is well known in the art.The waist belt 18 may be unfolded from the flat, or stowedconfiguration, to the unfolded position as is shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.7. Upon unfolding the waist belt 18, the carrying case 10 is ready to beworn as shown in FIG. 7.

[0038] Once the shoulder straps 16 and waist belt 18 are fully deployedand the securing flap 26 is secured to the handle 28, the soft-sidedcarrying case 10 may be carried in a fashion similar to a backpack. Asshown in FIG. 1, the wearer of the backpack may slip his arms throughthe shoulder straps 16, adjust the shoulder straps 16 according to hisor her preference, and alternatively may secure the shoulder straps tothe chest by use of a closing mechanism 40. The wearer may then attachthe waist belt 18 around the waist or hips, and similarly, the wearermay adjust the waist belt 18 according to his or her preference. Thewaist belt 18 may then be secured around the wearer using the buckles36A and 36B to provide the wearer with a simple 4-point harness.

[0039] Also, it will be further appreciated that zippers, buckles, hookand loop closures, and adjustment straps as described above may bereplaced and/or substituted with any number of known closing or securingmechanisms, such as, by way of example and not limitation, straps,buckles, snaps, buttons, and other similar hook and loop closurematerials.

[0040] Although certain embodiments of a soft-sided carrying case havebeen disclosed and described herein in accordance with the teachings ofthe present invention, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments ofthe teachings of the invention fairly falling within the scope of theappended claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A soft-sided carrying case comprising: acompartment, the compartment including a plurality of sidewalls, a frontwall, a back wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall; the back wall having aflap, the flap disposed on the back wall and shiftable between a closedposition and an open position; a pair of shoulder straps secured to theback wall and concealed by the flap when the flap is in the closedposition; a waist belt, the waist belt secured to the flap andaccessible when the flap is in the open position, the waist beltfoldable about a plurality of waist belt hinges so as to lie flat; aplurality of wheels secured to the bottom wall of the compartment; and atelescoping handle secured to the compartment.
 2. The soft-sidedcarrying case of claim 1, wherein the waist belt comprises a pluralityof waist belt panels, and wherein the waist belt panels are foldableflat about them plurality of waist belt hinges.
 3. The soft-sidedcarrying case of claim 2, wherein at least one of the waist belt panelsextends under a panel section and wherein the panel section is securedto the flap.
 4. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 3, wherein thepanel section is padded.
 5. The soft-carrying case of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of waist belt hinges are formed by a line of stitching. 6.The soft-sided carrying case of claim 1, wherein the flap is securablein the open position to expose the pair of shoulder straps and the waistbelt.
 7. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 6, wherein the flap issecurable about a handle located on the bottom wall of the carryingcase.
 8. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 7, wherein the flap issecurable about the handle using a hook and loop closure.
 9. Asoft-sided carrying case comprising: a front wall; a back wall; aplurality of sidewalls; the back wall having a flap, the flap disposedon the back wall and shiftable between a closed position and an openposition; a pair of shoulder straps secured to the back wall andconcealed by the flap when the flap is in the closed position; and awaist belt, the waist belt secured to the flap and accessible when theflap is in the open position, and wherein the waist belt is foldableflat against the flap.
 10. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 9,wherein the waist belt is foldable about a plurality of waist belthinges.
 11. The soft-carrying case of claim 10, wherein the plurality ofwaist belt hinges are formed by a line of stitching.
 12. The soft-sidedcarrying case of claim 10, wherein the waist belt comprises a pluralityof waist belt panels, and wherein the waist belt panels are foldableflat about the plurality of waist belt hinges.
 13. The soft-sidedcarrying case of claim 12, wherein at least one of the waist belt panelsextends under a panel section and wherein the panel section is securedto the flap.
 14. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 9, wherein thewaist belt extends under a panel section.
 15. The soft-sided carryingcase of claim 14, wherein the panel section is padded.
 16. Thesoft-sided carrying case of claim 9, wherein the flap is securable inthe open position to expose the pair of shoulder straps and the waistbelt.
 17. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 16, wherein the flap issecurable about a handle located on the bottom wall of the carryingcase.
 18. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 17, wherein the flap issecurable about the handle using a hook and loop closure.
 19. Asoft-sided carrying case comprising: a compartment, the compartmentincluding a plurality of sidewalls, a front wall, a back wall, a topwall, and a bottom wall; a plurality of shoulder straps secured to theback wall of the compartment; a cover flap; a waist belt assemblyattached to the cover flap, wherein the waist belt assembly is foldableflat against the cover flap; and a hinge pivotally joining the coverflap to the back wall of the compartment, the hinge permitting the coverflap to pivot about the hinge between an open position and a closedposition in which the cover flap is disposed in confronting relationwith at least a portion of the back wall to enclose the shoulder strapsand the waist belt assembly.
 20. The soft-sided carrying case of claim19, wherein the waist belt assembly comprises a plurality of waist beltpanels which are foldable flat about a plurality of waist belt hinges.21. The soft-sided carrying case of claim 19, wherein the waist beltassembly extends under a panel section.
 22. The soft-sided carrying caseof claim 19, wherein the flap is securable in the open position.